The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Florida A&M Rattlers and the UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 16, 1978, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Florida A&M, 35–28.^[3]

This was the first season of I-AA play, and the first championship game for the newly formed division. The game was also known as the Pioneer Bowl,^[4] a name that had been used starting in 1971 for various NCAA playoff games held in Wichita Falls.

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1978 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket.

The game was played in a strong wind, estimated at 20–25 miles per hour (32–40 km/h).^[9] It was a factor, especially with Florida A&M, as Sammy Knight punted six times for only 45 total yards; he also had two punts blocked.^[9] UMass led early, going ahead 6–0 on two field goals. Florida A&M held a 14–6 lead at halftime, but trailed twice in the second half, as UMass had leads of 15–14 and 22–21. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by fullback Mike Solomon then provided Florida A&M with the winning margin. Florida A&M won without completing a pass from scrimmage, as quarterback Albert Chester went 0-for-7 with two interceptions;^[10] he did successfully pass for a two-point conversion, and ran for two touchdowns.

Florida A&M placekicker Vince Coleman, who was 3-for-3 on extra points, would go on to play 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the St. Louis Cardinals.^[11]

Note: contemporary news reports listed attendance as 14,000 (estimated);^[10][12] NCAA records indicate 13,604.^[1]

• 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings